When Did Mumbai Indians Last Win the First Match of an IPL Season?

One of the greatest franchises in the history of the IPL, the Mumbai Indians are in possession of an unwanted and rather odd record heading into the IPL 2026 edition of the league. The five-time champions have not won the opening match of an IPL season for an unbelievable 13 seasons, with their last opening fixture victory coming in 2012 when they did not have a single IPL title in their kitty.

Ever since winning their first title, Mumbai Indians have gone on to win five IPL trophies, however, their struggles on the opening day of the season have continued unabated. Under their new captain Hardik Pandya, they will be aiming to end this unwanted run against Kolkata Knight Riders when they take on them at the Wankhede stadium on 22nd March.

Mumbai Indians losing run in opening matches

Mumbai Indians haven't won their opening game of the season since 2013. In all conditions and against all sorts of teams, MI have failed to get a winning start to their IPL campaign with the losses sometimes very close and at times one sided. Here is a comprehensive list of MI's results since their 2013 win in their opening encounter;

As is clear from the above list, it is astonishing that Mumbai Indians haven't been able to achieve even a winning start in many of their title winning seasons.

Aiming for a good start in IPL 2026

With a new skipper, Mumbai Indians will be looking to turn this record around in the IPL 2026 season when they kickstart their campaign against a Kolkata Knight Riders . With the team not winning an IPL title in the last five years, Mumbai Indians will surely be looking to end this drought and secure their sixth title.

Last season, Mumbai Indians finished 3rd but crashed out in Qualifier 2 after losing to the Punjab Kings. But with a side that looks more promising this year, a good start to the season will only boost the confidence of the Mumbai Indians players. With Hardik Pandya in charge, the team will be aiming for glory this season, and breaking the opening match curse is perhaps the first step towards achieving that goal.